HOW TO MARKET REAL ESTATE ONLINE

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    How a property is listed on your website is critical. Amazingly the vast majority of real estate companies don’t take advantage of the different ways to showcase a listing or tell a story to spark the imagination of users. Let’s dive in to why this is so important and how to create listings that generate leads.

    Why you should invest in your listing’s quality

    Competition
    Your listing is competing not only with other listings on your own website, but with others on the portals. Just like search results on Google or images on Pinterest, only the most eye-catching get the attention they seek.

    Search engine optimisation
    A well written property description should naturally contain key phrases that users are searching for. The more detailed your descriptions, (without repetition or being overly embellished) the better your listing will perform individually on the search engines. And collectively, good quality listings will have a massive effect on the rankings of your website as a whole.

    PRO MOVE - Executing your brand across so many areas can be a time consuming and costly exercise, but you don’t have to do everything at once. Work with an experienced design studio, set a budget and schedule the rollout so that you have the end goal in sight. Eventually you’ll have a uniform brand identity that excites your team and attracts users.

    Brand identity
    When users see that each and every listing on your website has a good quality description, considered photography and video they naturally feel that your brand is professional and will deliver. It’s a small, but important part of the big picture.

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    Descriptions that convert

    Describe a journey
    The description is the best place to start when you’re telling a story about a property. Although stating facts such as the number of bedrooms and the square footage are important, this information is not enough to engage your visitors and take them on a journey of the property. Instead, you need to envision that you’re physically taking a potential buyer/tenant through a property and remember to trigger their senses.

    The master bedroom is a haven for luxury living and is well-suited for those who seek the finer things in life. It features a custom walk-in dresser with enough clothing space for every occasion, an en-suite bathroom with exquisite marble and brass finishes and a rejuvenating Jacuzzi for moments when you need to unwind and relax. The bedroom leads onto a wrap-around balcony with sweeping sea-views of the Indian Ocean. Here, waking up and falling asleep to the peaceful sound of waves is a way of life that residents are immersed in every day.

    Use brand names
    If some of your listings have brand name equipment or fittings make sure you draw attention to this. These branded items raise the value, uniqueness and desirability of a home.

    The top of the line kitchen is spacious and inspiring with its custom designed blue cabinetry, black granite counters, double eye level AEG oven and stained glass display cabinets. The large granite topped central island is fitted with 3 gas and 2 ceran AEG hobs.

    Amenities
    Other important elements to include in your description is the security features and the distance from key amenities such as schools, hospitals, shopping malls, restaurants and highways.

    With outstanding curb appeal, this home is elevated above the road and is built over two levels. It offers the privacy of retreat style living in a high-end residential community with guarded boomed access. The upscale Westville Mall and sought after Westville schools are a convenient 10 minutes drive away.

    Headings
    Special attention must be given to the heading as this needs to capture a user’s attention and keep them intrigued for long enough to read on further. Often, agencies make the mistake of “fluffing” this section with unnecessary words that do not reveal anything about the property. Examples of what not to write would be:

    Your dream home awaits you” or “start making memories in this home

    These vague statements hold no value for the user. Instead, the opening statement should sum up the highlights of the property in a few words and answer the one question that all visitors have, which is, what am I looking at?

    Rather try “Old World Charm Meets Energy Efficient Home with Separate Flatlet”

    Pictures sell property

    Alongside a description that tells a story, you will need high-quality pictures. Unfortunately, many agencies fall victim to the following bad habits:

    • Not adding or adding very few pictures to property listings.
    • Using low-quality images with bad lighting and skewed focus.
    • Not taking the time to make the most of each photographic opportunity.

    These shortcomings will immediately lose the attention of your visitors, regardless of how well-written your description is. To avoid this scenario, you can take the initiative to invest in good camera equipment and learn about the best photography practices for real estate. However, considering how busy the life of an agent can be, there is always the option of hiring a professional photographer to do the heavy lifting for you.

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    Home staging
    This should be done, to some extent, every time a property is photographed. This means that you will need to make a few non-technical tweaks to the home such as decluttering and depersonalising it so that buyers can imagine the space as their own. Depending on your budget, this can mean anything from fresh flowers to hiring a decorator to select custom art and furnishings.

    Oh and remember when you’re uploading the images be sure to select the best one as the primary photograph. This will preferably be a high-quality exterior shot.

    “A picture is worth a thousand words... and a video is worth a million pictures."


    Ankala Subbarao (Poet)

    The instant connection of Video

    The use of video in property listings has recently gained widespread popularity among real estate agencies and can arguably be the most effective component in enhancing your online visibility. It is a powerful tool when combined with quality descriptions and photography, and plays a vital role in triggering an emotional response in visitors.

    Perhaps one of the most distinctive features of a video is its high “shareability” value on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. If done right, it has the potential to generate thousands of shares among potential clients and is, therefore, likely to generate high quality leads quicker.

    Ultimately, video gives visitors a visual story of a home and enables them to feel as if they are moving through it effortlessly. It is the most accurate way to showcase the size and look of various spaces, allowing visitors to make an almost instant connection.

    Other opportunities

    Don’t forget that you can add further value to your listings by including:

    • Virtual Tours
      There are some incredible tools available to produce lifelike 3D tours. Check out https://matterport.com
    • Floor Plans
      If you have floor plans, make sure you include them with your listing. These are standard in US and UK markets and will be a massive help in getting a user to understand the space.
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    Takeaway

    We know it’s often a race to get a listing online, but it’s more important for your brand and for your users to have content that describes it beautifully and takes advantage of all the technology you have available. To compete with those doing this well, you should consider a well written description, 20 good photographs and a video as essential.

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